Following the launch of its second piece of Windows hardware, Microsoft (MSFT) CFO Peter Klein suggested that the company may be working toward releasing a third tablet that addresses the emerging market for smaller slates. During a presentation at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference on Wednesday, Klein said that Microsoft is prepared to attack the tablet market on all fronts, be it with a larger device or a smaller one — or both. More →

Just because Microsoft (MSFT) hasn’t figured out a way to sell the Surface yet doesn’t mean that Windows-based tablets are doomed. Per AppleInsider, Forrester Research’s annual Mobile Workforce Adoption Trends survey of nearly 10,000 information workers shows that there’s even more demand for Windows-based tablets in the enterprise than there is for the Apple (AAPL) iPad. In fact, Forrester found that 36% of workers surveyed said they wanted to use a Windows-based tablet at work, compared to 26% who wanted an iPad and 12% who wanted an Android tablet. This suggests that there’s a significant potential market for the Surface Pro as a workplace computer and that Microsoft could have a big potential opening to get users hooked on both Windows 8 and Windows-based tablets in the near future. The prospects for Windows smartphones aren’t as bright, however, as the survey found that only 10% of workers surveyed wanted a Windows Phone device for their next work smartphone, versus 33% who wanted an iPhone and 22% who wanted an Android phone.

Apple’s (AAPL) staggering success over the past few years can be attributed to the combination of several key factors. Great leadership is one, great products is another. Apple’s deep pockets and monstrous marketing budget have played an equal role in the company’s success but according to a new report, Apple may be losing its grip on an important demographic. More →

Tablets are a hot category once again this holiday season and as it did in 2011, Apple’s (AAPL) iPad lineup is seen leading the pack this year. According to a survey conducted between October and November 2012 by market research firm Parks Associates, 44% of the tablet-seeking holiday shoppers polled planned to purchase an iPad this year and 24% were eying a Kindle Fire. The study gets interesting in the No.3 and No.4 slots, however — the firm’s data shows that 21% of consumers polled planned to purchase Microsoft’s (MSFT) Surface tablet compared to just 12% who planned to by a Nexus tablet. More →

Sorry, Microsoft (MSFT) — consumers just aren’t that interested in your tablet. Ipsos conducted a poll for Thomson Reuters last week showing that just 4% of people in the United States interested in buying a tablet were considering buying a Surface. This compares to a whopping 42% of prospective tablet buyers who were interested in an iPad mini, 16% who wanted a Kindle Fire and 14% who were interested in one of Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy tablets. Reuters reporters also anecdotally found that Apple (AAPL) stores got vastly more traffic than Microsoft’s pop-up stores during the holiday shopping season and that employees in Microsoft stores said that they had “plenty” of Surface tablets still in stock. Reuters also talked with one man who was returning his Surface tablet to a Microsoft store and who explained that “with the iPad, it’s one step, and with this (Surface), it’s two or three steps to do the same thing.”